Ebola: Japan prepares for the worst, Japanese companies profit

Along with the rest of the world, Japan is preparing for the worst when it comes to Ebola.

As the virus continues to spread in West Africa and as isolated incidents pop up in the United States, 45 hospitals in Japan are taking steps to prepare for the bug, according to NHK.

On October 22nd, hospitals began training staff on how to prepare their facilities to combat the virus.

“Even if a little of the Ebola virus is involved it poses an infection risk,” Kato Yasuyuki, a doctor with the International Medical Center, said. “The patient may not notice because the virus spreads through bleeding or vomit.”

Japan’s Ministry of Health has strengthened security at airports. If Japanese nationals or tourists show symptoms of Ebola, they will be sent into quarantine at one of the designated hospitals.

However, the fear is that an infected person may not immediately show the symptoms and will be able to enter Japan. It is a difficult virus to spot as one of the first symptoms is a fever, which is common in many other ailments. Japanese officials are paying special attention to people who have visited West Africa.

According to Reuters, some Japanese companies are seeing their stock prices rise as fear of the virus continues to spread.

Fujifilm Holdings Corp., which has produces Avigan, an anti-influenza drug that may be an effective countermeasure to the virus, saw stocks rise 3.7 per cent to 3,632 yen.